Winners & Losers of the Week
By Editor
Winners and Losers of the Week: Click Here
Contributors
Wally Edge
The New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority will hold a special meeting on Thursday to appoint retiring NJN news anchor Kent Manahan as the Acting ... >
Bob Torricelli
There's nothing more difficult to see than the history before your eyes. It sometimes takes generations to understand the significance of ... >
Michael Patrick Carroll
OK, he didn't say precisely that, but when the Chairman of the Budget Committee informs us that governmental spending is the key to prosperity, ... >
Debbie Holtz
Score one for the Governor’s public relations team. For the last few weeks, they have been working overtime to fuel speculation Corzine was being ... >
Steve Lonegan
The sub prime mortgage melt down and its ensuing financial “crisis” has tested the mettle of all of us who believe in and support the free ... >
Dr. Joseph Marbach
I am pleased to report the results from the first national poll conducted by Environmental Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at ... >
Rob Tornoe
To view a larger version of this cartoon, click here. >
Michael P. Riccards
The media, which loves headlines and knows little history, is trying to sell President Elect Obama as another Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But that ... >
Joey Novick
When I was eleven, way back in 1965, my family was invited for Thanksgiving to my cousins’ cousins, a Jewish-Italian family who lived in the ... >
Juan Melli
Last week's fight between Henry Waxman and John Dingell for chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce committee also featured a less ... >
Carla Katz
A couple of weeks ago, my mother, Angelina Katz, did her second debate on behalf of Barack Obama. A debate? My mother? If you knew her, you’d be ... >
Patricia Quattrocchi
A rained out MusicFest this past September has provided Union County with $275,000 in insurance monies. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders ... >
Murray Sabrin
As New Jerseyans get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving the nation's economic outlook is indeed bleak, and there doesn't seem much to be ... >
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"Joe Ferriero never influenced me not to speak to Loretta. I would never be influenced in that kind of way." -- State Sen. Paul Sarlo, on his relationship with State Sen. Loretta Weinberg.
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- Dec 1 2008
In the News
Read the expanded Wake Up Call, our summary of today’s news media coverage.
Today’s Must Reads:
Why can't we find a role for Christie in Washington? ― MIKE KELLY
Christie Gives Notice, and G.O.P. Gains Hope ― DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI
Christie's legcy― THE BERGEN RECORD
Corzine for Treasury? Don't Bet on It.― WASHINGTON POST
Immigrants still in New Jersey― THE BERGEN RECORD
Now it's the Dems' chance to be dumb― PAUL MULSHINE
Syndicate
The real losers of the week are
NJ's taxpayers.
CWA Big Time Loser
The final budget deal hashed out is a complete and embarrassing loss for the once powerful CWA Union.
They lost on every issue and to add insult to injury they even lost a holiday! State Senator Sweeney rubbed their nose in it by getting Lincoln's birthday knocked off the holiday list.
Here are the final issues as written in the AP tonight:
-- Raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.
-- Require someone to earn $7,500 per year to receive a taxpayer-funded pension.
-- Eliminate Lincoln's Birthday as a state worker holiday.
-- Allow the state to offer incentives to workers not to take taxpayer-paid health insurance.
"The taxpayers really won today, and I actually think we're being fair to everyone," said Sweeney, D-Gloucester.
Public worker unions had opposed the reforms, but the top officials from the state's largest teachers union participated in the closed-door meetings in which the agreement was hashed out.
Even the NJEA sold CWA down the river by sitting in on the final negotiations!
Why is this important? The myth of power has now been broken. Financial issues that were once thought to be " sacred cows" will now be reviewed and " rethought".
The CWA is a paper tiger. No one in Trenton is scared or intimidated anymore by them. This is a huge paradigm shift that will have ramifications for years.
Taking Lincoln's birthday is a very big symbolic " slap in the face" , a " now you know who is boss" type of action.
It might seem like a minor issue to someone on the outside but losing Lincolns birthday could not have happened a few years ago when this union had some " juice".
How do you spell loser? C -- W-- A
Big Loser - Lonegan
Steve Lonegan sold out his Conservative base last year by endorsing Kevin O'Toole, now O'Toole is touting the praises of Chris Christie for Governor.
Steve Lonegan has been running non-stop for Governor since 2005 and has been using Americans for Prosperity to give him the name recognition. Perhaps he as learned a lesson, "if you sleep with dogs you will get fleas."
"We will have peace when they love their children more than they hate us" ~ Golda Meir